Libido sciendi
“The desire to know.”
Philosophical term (Augustinian tradition)
What does “Libido sciendi” mean?
Libido sciendi translates as “The desire to know.”
It names the passion for knowledge. It can be praised as curiosity or warned against as restless, endless craving.
“Libido sciendi” word by word
| Latin | English | Grammar |
|---|---|---|
| Libido | desire, craving | nominative singular feminine (here the noun libido, libidinis, “desire, lust”), the subject or head noun of the phrase |
| sciendi | of knowing | genitive singular of the gerund of scio, “I know”; it completes libido: “desire of knowing” |
How to pronounce “Libido sciendi”
The stress falls on the second syllable of libido and on the second-to-last syllable of sciendi in both systems. They differ in the vowels and the sc: classical has a hard k-like s-k, Church Latin has sh before i and e.
The story behind it
Word for word the phrase says “desire of knowing”, in other words the urge or craving to know. Libido here is an old Latin word for desire, not the narrow modern sense of sex drive.
The idea comes from the Augustinian tradition. Augustine, writing in Late Antiquity, treated curiosity as a form of desire that can pull the mind off course, and he warned against knowledge pursued for its own sake.
The exact Latin phrase is a later philosophical label rather than a classical quotation. Pascal used the thought in the seventeenth century, placing the desire to know beside the desire of the senses and the desire to dominate.
Today it is used more neutrally, or even warmly, for plain intellectual curiosity.
How to use “Libido sciendi”
A good name for a book club, research blog or student notebook, or a tattoo for someone who loves learning. It works best where a bit of irony or depth is welcome, since the older tradition treats it as a double-edged drive.
- Latin
- Libido sciendi
- English
- The desire to know.
- Source
- Philosophical term (Augustinian tradition)
- Era
- Late Antiquity
- Theme
- Learning
Common mistakes
- Libido does not mean only sexual desire in this phrase. It means desire or craving in general.
- Do not read it as a neutral compliment. In its original tradition it often carries a warning about restless curiosity.
- The grammar is fixed: sciendi is genitive, so “libido sciendum” or “libido scire” would be wrong here.
- It is not a famous line from a single ancient text. It is a term from the Augustinian tradition and later thinkers, so avoid attributing it to Augustine as a direct quotation.
Questions about “Libido sciendi”
What does “Libido sciendi” mean literally?
“Desire of knowing”, that is, the desire or craving to know. Libido is desire in a general sense and sciendi is the genitive of the gerund of scio, “I know”.
Who said “Libido sciendi”?
It is a philosophical term from the Augustinian tradition, not a quotation from one ancient text. Augustine discussed curiosity as a form of desire, and later thinkers such as Pascal used the phrase.
How do you pronounce “Libido sciendi”?
Classical: lih-BEE-doh skih-EN-dee. Church Latin: lee-BEE-doh shee-EN-dee. The stress is on BEE and EN in both.
Is “Libido sciendi” correct Latin for a tattoo?
Yes, the grammar is correct: a noun in the nominative with a gerund in the genitive. Just remember that its tradition treats the desire to know as something that can be good or excessive.
More to explore
Translation and grammar checked by Latin Quoter · last reviewed November 2026
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